In his various writings Smith proposed a view of religion that stresses the
living vibrant faith of individuals, rather than any abstract set of ideas and
doctrines. This idea argues that in order to truly understand a religious
tradition an "outsider" needs to find a way to relate to the experience rather
than just using critical and historical analysis. In The Meaning and End
of Religion he traces the evolution in the meaning of the word religion
through out the seventeenth century as religion appears in the plural form for the first time.